Assets
by DarkPoltergeist
Summary: After ROTJ While on a mission for the new Republic Leia overrides one of Han's decisions, wounding not only his pride but their relationship in the process. This break reveals issues in their relationship; will they be strong enough to overcome them? Or will this tear them apart?
1. Chapter 1

**Assets**

 **By Dark Poltergeist**

 **Chapter 1**

The imperial spy was quietly making her way across the plaza, unnoticed with the closing of the local shops as the sun's light faded away. Han, Leia and Chewbacca watched her from the shadows as the Imp silently passed by them.

Han exchanged a long look with Leia and then jerked his head in the direction of the spy and reached for his blaster. Leia glared at him and shook her head with a gesture she indicated that they should let her go.

"We need to get her, bring her back," he whispered.

"And do what?"

"Interrogate her, get the information we need for the surviving cells."

"No. It's better if we let her go, track her. She'll take us to the holdouts."

"How do you know that?" he asked, his expression intense, but she didn't answer. "No, this is my call. We bring her back."

"Han!"

"General, remember?" He smirked and then turned away from her, watching the woman who was quickly getting out of blaster range.

Leia watched Han, knowing his every movement, aware that he was going to shoot the spy. It wasn't a bad choice; neither of their options were a bad choice. It's just that Leia knew in her gut, maybe through the force, that letting the Imp go so that they could track her would yield better results. The remaining Imperial hold on this planet had to end, that was her goal. She knew that Han wanted the same thing, they just had different ideas on how to accomplish this.

She pulled out her blaster and rested it against her thigh.

"Han," she hissed. "Please, listen to me."

Han shook his head and waved her objection away. She saw him undo the lock on his blaster, put his hand around it and pull it out. He raised his arm, taking a moment to sight his target and steady himself.

Leia sighed. This was a course of action she had never taken before but she knew, felt that to accomplish their objective the Imp spy had to get away.

 _Han, forgive me._

She felt the small muscles in Han's finger move, but before he squeezed the trigger, he yelped and then smothered the sound as he fell to the ground clutching his backside. He spun around looking for a target, trying to see how an unknown assailant had gotten the drop on them, but he didn't see anyone. Muttering an impressive string of Corellian curses, he dropped to the ground as Leia watched the Imp spy disappear into a side street. She knew the tracking device that had been previously planted would work without fail.

Han looked up to see Chewbacca smothering his laughter, a giant paw over mouth.

"Ohh, ya think this is funny ya big furball!"

 _You have no idea_ , the Wookie chortled.

Han looked at Leia for help, but she was studying the ground near Han.

"She got away!"

"Yes, she did."

Han surveyed the area again. "No one's attacking us, so who shot me?" He gave Chewbacca a suspicious look.

 _It wasn't me_ , Chewie said and bared his teeth in an exaggerated Wookie grin.

Han gasped and swung his gaze to Leia. "You?"

Leia slowly looked up from the ground she had been studying and nodded.

She swallowed hard as she looked into Han's face, feeling the waves of anger from him. She couldn't remember him ever being this angry before, at least certainly not with her. Oh, sure, they had legendary, furious fights on Hoth, and at the time their anger had been hot, their irritation with each other immense but they always knew it would blow over. It wasn't true anger, not like the fury she now saw in Han's dark, angry eyes.

"Why did you shoot me?"

"It was the right thing to do."

"The right thing? Really? The right thing?" Han sputtered in fury, clutching his butt and grimacing.

 _She shot you in the ass_ , Chewie added helpfully.

"I know that you damn moth ridden hairball! It's my ass!"

 _At least, Little Princess is a good shot. Could have been worse._

Han blanched as an unvoiced thought occurred to him. He shook that off and turned back to Leia. "You shot me!"

"Yes, we've already established that. I'm sorry."

"Sorry? Really? You're sorry? You think sorry will cover this? You friggin' shot me!"

Leia was almost sure she could see smoke coming out of his ears by now. She was pretty sure this one wasn't going to blow over easily. "Maybe we should get back to Home One. We need to get you to the MedBay?"

"Do ya think?"

Chewbacca was laughing openly now.

"Shut up, Chewie. Call 'em up now! There's nothin' more we can do here." He glared at Leia. "Is the tracking device working?"

She nodded.

With a grimace of pain Han stumbled to his feet, and Chewbacca reached out a strong arm to steady him.

 _Cub?_

Han waved him off, and staggered ahead of them, fuming in his silence. His bloodstripes were ruined as the back right panel revealed a gaping hole which extended down to the back of his right thigh, and though it was hard to see, it seemed to be a rather serious burn.

"Han, wait. Stop. Let me look at that," Leia asked.

Han growled and waved her off.

 _The adrenaline will get him back to the ship, and the trip to Home One isn't long._

"But it should be looked at now," Leia whispered.

 _You have many good ideas, Little Princess, but that is not one of them. You have wounded him physically and his pride when he trusted you. This will take some healing, both physically and emotionally._

The Wookie stopped suddenly and engulfed Leia in his arms giving her a strong, comforting hug. When he put her back on the ground she gave him a confused look.

"What was that for?"

 _You will need to know that you are loved._

"But I already know that." She frowned watching Han and his very noticeable limp

 _But Cub may not. I suspect you may be sleeping on the couch for a while._

"The couch?"

Chewie's blue eyes crinkled with sympathy.

 _Oh_.

Troubled, Leia followed behind the drifting string of colorful Corellian curses.

8888888888888888888888888888888888

Han lie, face down on one of the MedBay bunk as a human, middle-aged male doctor, by the name of Dr. Sathis carefully removed the cloth that the blaster had embedded into Han's burnt skin at close range. He clenched his teeth as the procedure continued.

"General Solo, I assure you that this will go much easier if you allow me to numb the area."

"No. Just get on with it," he growled.

"How bad is it?" Leia asked, peering at Han's scorched back side and thigh area.

"It's bad. A body is not meant to take a blaster shot this close and live. It seems that some of the material has melted into the skin which complicates our debriding it." He glanced at Han and then at Leia. "What happened?"

"I got caught in some crossfire," Han muttered. "Careless of me really. I was sure I was out of the line of fire, wasn't I Leia?"

"You seemed to be," she agreed neutrally.

Han groaned as the doctor reached a particularity sensitive spot.

"General Solo, I'm really going to have to insist that we give you a pain killer to numb that area."

"Fine. Do it. Then what happens?"

"We put you in the bacta tank for half a day."

"No. Not that." Han expelled an angry sigh. "Can't you just use bacta pads or somethin'?"

"We could but instead of you enjoying our accommodations for just two days you will be here at least a week while we monitor the progress of the bacta pads; as you can imagine they aren't nearly as strong."

"Fine. Put me in the tank. But not til tomorrow."

"We will give you two hours once we are finished cleaning the wounds. That should be sufficient time for the pain killers to take effect."

Han groaned.

"Hold still a moment." The doctor paused and gave Han a shot near the area of the burn, and then another, until he could touch the area without Han wincing. "Better?"

Han just grunted.

"You're a lucky man, General Solo, a bit to the left and you would have burned a hole through your leg or damaged your artery."

"Great, just great."

Leia watched as the doctor continued to work on Han's buttocks and thigh area. After another half an hour, the area was cleaned to the doctor's satisfaction. He then injected Han with a stronger pain killer and left him to Leia's company.

"Han?"

Han, lying on his stomach, face pressed into the pillows, turned his head to look at her. He remained silent.

"I'm sorry. Truly sorry. It seemed the only way…"

You were wrong."

Leia blinked. Han's gaze was unwavering as was the tone of his voice. She felt a ripple in their relationship, a change, as if something cold had intruded, and she saw it in Han's eyes.

Then he shut his eyes and turned away from her.

88888888888888888888888888888888888

 _AN: Welcome to my story; more to come. Thanks for reading and author's always love reviews._


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Han was sedated and put into the bacta tank just as the doctor ordered.

Leia watched for a while, worry causing her to chew her lip as Han floated unconscious in the fluid. The medical staff could not properly cover him do to the nature of his injury as they needed to leave the burnt area uncovered for the bacta to do its best work. Which meant that for all practical purposes Han was now wearing a thong.

Leia was both amused and uncomfortable with that at the same time. Although she knew she was biased, Han was a beautiful man. Strong arms, a nicely muscled torso that tapered down to a lean waist, strong thighs and calves and a lovely ass and frontal package. His face was what she loved most about him though, for he was easily the most handsome man she had ever seen, and the emotions of his soul shone through the myriad gold and green colors of his hazel eyes.

The thong was the doctor's suggestion to offer some sort of propriety for the general. He didn't expect anyone but the medical staff to see Han in his present condition, but should some unauthorized person wander in he felt it would be best to be discreet. When he confided his concern to Leia, she reluctantly told him that after Han was out, she could offer something to remedy the situation. When the doctor reddened and gave her a speculative look, she just shrugged and said she would be back soon. She returned a half an hour later with a blue thong with little pink hearts on it. It was a private joke for them and something they only used in their play acting in the privacy of their bedroom. Unfortunately, Han didn't have a wide selection to choose from, this was the least embarrassing of the three he had.

 _Gods, please don't let anyone else see him here like this._

Her hopes for that were crushed when the door opened and a young woman, an attractive new blonde enlistee, wandered into the room with the bacta tank. She stopped in her tracks, and Leia watched as the young woman's mouth dropped open, and she stared at Han, a soft smile coming to her face as she appraised the unconscious general. Her smiled widened as her eyes swept over him from the top down, stopping to linger in the area of his thong. Unaware that she was being watched by someone else, the woman stepped closer and placed her hand on the outside of the tank and sighed, fogging the glass.

"May I help you?" Leia snapped, startling the woman so bad that she stumbled back a couple of steps before she regained her balance.

"What? Who are you?"

Leia would have laughed if she wasn't so irritated at this woman for ogling Han.

"You don't know?"

"No. Are you here to look at him too?" She inclined her head at the tank.

"That's why you're here?" Leia was stunned.

"Yeah, it's a popular topic on base right now. The General is quite the celebrity and extremely handsome." She glanced at Leia. "Don't you think?"

"I can't argue that. He's very handsome."

The lithe blonde stepped closer to Leia, dropping her voice to a confidential tone. "I wonder what he's like in bed. I bet he's amazing."

Leia contemplated her answer, wondering if she should embarrass this hussy, or straight up warn her to back away from her man.

"Oh, he is. He really, really is."

The blonde's blue eyes widened in shock and astonishment. "You know? You've been to bed with him?"

"Yeah. A lot."

"You're very brave."

"Why would you say that?"

"I've heard that he's serious with Princess Leia and she's supposed to be a prize bitch. But I shouldn't say that because I haven't met her yet."

"No. You really shouldn't."

"Word is that no other woman stands a chance, but if you've been with him than maybe some of the rest of us can hope for a night with him too."

"I don't think so. He's devoted to Leia."

"How can he be if he's spends so much time with you?"

This woman really was not the brightest bulb, clearly the new Republic could do better. When no light seemed to be breaking about her head, Leia took it upon herself to assist her.

"I should introduce myself, I'm Leia."

"You're?" The blonde, who had her hand held out, slowly withdrew it and turned beet red. "His Leia?"

Leia nodded. "Yes. We're an item, or so I've heard."

"But you aren't married?"

"No, but why should that matter?" Leia scowled at the young woman.

"No ring, no firm commitment. Sometimes even with a ring there's not a firm commitment." She looked away from Leia and back at Han. "He's a fine specimen of a man, there's a reason he's so popular on base. Better keep your grip tight if you don't want to lose him."

Leia glared at her, but she ignored Leia, turned on her heel and left through the doors.

The Princess paced around the bacta tank, glaring at Han as if he had done something wrong. He floated serenely, unaware of her chaotic thoughts.

 _She didn't want to lose Han, what was that woman talking about? Were the women on base still talking about him? She remembered hearing all sorts of gossip about him on Hoth, but she had somehow thought that had dissipated when she and Han became a couple. But this woman openly lusted after him? She wished she was with Han instead of Leia! How dare she!_

Leia paused behind the bacta tank as the doors opened again and a rather nice-looking young man paused, looked back and forth, and seeing no one around, he stepped into the room. He stopped in front of the bacta tank and looked at Han. He went through much the same routine as the blonde woman before him as he appraised the General.

 _Oh, for fuck's sake,_ Leia's mind cried out. _Get a life!_

Leia cleared her throat and stepped around the tank, startling the young man.

"Can I help you?"

The young man's eyes widened, and he cleared his throat, and stood at attention. "I'm sorry, Princess…err, Commander Organa. I didn't know you were here."

"Obviously."

"I took a wrong turn…yeah, it was a wrong turn." He stared at her in terror. "I'll be going now." He stumbled out the door and disappeared as quickly as possible.

 _Men? Really? Even men were ogling Han in his thong? Good Gods, how had she under rated his sexy self so badly?_

She leaned back against a convenient wall and stared at him, appreciating his masculine body with fresh eyes. Truth be told, if she wasn't already involved with him, she might have made an excuse to look at him too. But really!

The door opened again, and she turned ready to snap at whoever it was that entered. She was relieved to see it was Luke. He smiled at her and hurried over to her side, planting a quick kiss on her cheek.

"Hey, Leia. Great to see you."

"Did you just get back?"

"Yeah, and I hurried over as soon as I found out about it."

Leia wrinkled her brow in suspicion. "Found out about what?"

"You don't know?" Luke frowned and rubbed his chin. "No, I don't suppose you would have ever sanctioned such a thing."

"Sanctioned what?" She gestured back at the bacta tank. "Sanctioned being voyeuristic with Han?"

"Uh, yeah, something like that."

"Spill it, Luke." Leia's expression was resolute, and Luke knew he had no choice but to answer her. He pointed towards the door. "There's a line out there…"

"A line? For what?"

"To see Han, like this…" Luke blushed just a bit. "He's regarded as quite the catch."

"But he's already caught," Leia huffed. "Where is the medical staff?"

"Well, there's only one sentient doctor on duty and he's busy with Wes."

"What's wrong with Wes?"

"That's what the doctor is trying to find out," Luke tried to smile but it was more of a grimace.

"There isn't anything wrong with him, is there? A distraction?"

"Yeah." Luke shrugged helplessly.

"And the medical droids?"

"I think the Rogues stashed them in a closet somewhere so that they could sell tickets…"

"Tickets?"

Luke put his arms up in a defensive gesture. "It wasn't my idea, I just didn't think it was fair to Han to have this happening."

"Why is it happening now?"

"You had meetings scheduled for all day but came back early. They thought they'd be finished before you got back." Luke couldn't quite smother his grin. "They didn't know that Han is such a hot commodity."

"Yeah? But he's my commodity!" Leia snapped and then cursed under her breath. "I'm going to kill them." She pulled out her comm and punched in a channel. "Chewie!"

A surprised and apprehensive Chewie responded to her angry voice. _Little Princess?_

"Get here now."

 _Why? Has something happened to Cub?_

"No, sorry. He's fine. I just need your help."

 _I will be there shortly._

The Comm link was shut down and Leia grimaced. "He's going to hate this, you know."

"I know. That's why I came to tell you."

Leia folded her arms and stared at Han in the tank, realizing that this wasn't going to improve his mood in the least when he was conscious again. She also realized he wouldn't be experiencing this debacle at all if she hadn't shot him.

"Damnit," she muttered under her breath.

She looked up when the door opened, and a breathless Wookie entered the room. He stopped and studied his friend in the tank and satisfied that there was nothing amiss with Han, he joined Luke and Leia and grinned at Luke.

 _Little Princess shot him in the ass, you know?_

"You did what?" Luke gasped. "I thought he was caught in cross fire."

 _That's what they want everyone to believe, and I concur. It is no one's business except for theirs on what happens between them. No need to unduly embarrass Cub. That will be up to the four of us._

"I would really rather you didn't," Leia said in a small voice.

 _Trouble ahead to be sure,_ Chewie agreed, _but you must have known that when you took that action._

"You shot Han in the ass?" Luke guffawed. "Oh, Sis, he's not going to forgive you for this."

"Shut up! You didn't know the situation."

"It was a mistake?" Luke wrinkled his brow in confusion.

 _No, it was intentional. Little Princess disagreed with Cub._

"Intentional?"

"Later, Luke. Who's in charge of the line?"

"Wedge. Are you going to go talk to him?"

"Yes, I am. Chewie, don't let anyone else in here except for us or the medical staff."

 _As you wish. Where are you going?_

Leia turned to Luke. "Will you send the rest of the people in line away? I need to go and talk to Wedge," she said and excited the room.

8888888888888888888888888888888888

The line outside of the MedBay was quite impressive and from Leia's rough count there were at least fifty staff members in line, mostly women, waiting to get an eyeful of the famed Corellian space jockey, Han Solo. She found it both irritating and amusing that so many people found Han so attractive.

She found Wedge not far outside the room, sitting at a small table selling tickets. He was busy counting credits and didn't see her approach. She stopped in front of the table and cleared her throat.

"I'll be right with you," Wedge said.

"How about now?" Leia asked sweetly and saw Wedge freeze. Then he sighed and raised his gaze to meet Leia's.

"Hello, Commander." He smiled. "I thought you were in meetings all day."

"You were wrong, and you will shut this down immediately."

"Ahh, Leia."

"No discussion. How dare you do this to Han?"

"But look at the market for this? All these people think he's worth looking at, even if he's not conscious. Look at all the credits we made!" Wedge opened a box full of the day's profits and showed them to Leia.

"I'll be taking that, thank you."

"Hey! We were going to set up a party with that. This is a…a…fund raiser."

"Do you have Han's permission?"

"Well, no."

"Then?"

"Leia! Come on. It's for a good cause."

"Taking advantage of Han's medical condition is not a sufficient reason to raise money in this fashion." She gave Wedge a stern look that brooked no argument. "And now you'll help Luke shut this down."

Wedge nodded, unhappy with his order, and left the table to help Luke disperse the crowd. Tucking the credits in her pocket, Leia bypassed the disappointed staffers and returned to the room where Han floated, oblivious to his immense appeal.

8888888888888888888888888888888888

 _AN: I had originally intended this to be a funny story, but this story had its own ideas and developed into one with more depth. This chapter is a bit of self indulgence because I would have gotten a ticket too! Lol Anyhow, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Thanks for reading._


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

When Leia showed up to the MedCenter the next morning, she was surprised to find out that Han had already checked himself out and that he was gone. She knew how much Han hated MedCenters and wasn't surprised that he wanted out, but she was a bit surprised that he hadn't waited for her and had instead left with Chewie.

It was with some trepidation that she made her way to the Falcon, surprisingly nervous about seeing Han again. She had been concentrating on his injury, making sure that he got better, but now the reality of her actions were beginning to set in.

She was convinced that she had done the right thing or else she wouldn't have pulled the trigger and shot Han. He was as stubborn as she was and she knew there would be no other way to talk him out of what he was about to do, but she hadn't thought out the emotional consequences of that decision. Han was justifiably angry with her, she had wounded his pride, and broken their shared trust.

The ramp was down, but she hesitated until she saw Chewbacca amble down the ramp towards her. He gestured towards the interior of the Falcon.

 _He's in there._

Leia's eyes flickered towards the Falcon and the Wookie sensed her uncertainty.

 _There is no way to go but forward, Little Princess._

"Does he hate me?"

Chewie cocked his head in thought. _Perhaps at the moment, but he will get over it if you let him._

"How do I do that?"

 _Do I have to tell you everything_? Chewie huffed in amusement. _This is a test for both of you. You will find out how strong your love is._

"And if it fails?"

 _It will not. You are the two most stubborn individuals I have ever seen. You will either decide not to ever talk to each other…_

Leia blanched at the thought.

 _Or you will stick it out through the bad times as well as the good, and nothing will ever separate you._ The Wookie pulled Leia into a gentle hug. _Now go to him and work this out._

Leia nodded and walked up the ramp of the ship.

8888888888888888888888888888888888

Quietly, she made her way through the ship, which was unusually quiet. Han wasn't in the cockpit, the galley, the cargo hold area, any of those places _. Could he be in his cabin? It was just after lunch what would he be doing there?_

She opened the door to his quarter and was surprised to see him stretched out on his bunk, on his stomach, face down, a light blanket covering him. To find him inactive on the Falcon was unusual no matter the state of his health _. Perhaps he had checked out too early? Or the injury took more out of him that he was willing to admit?_ Neither one of those set well with Leia.

She turned to exit the cabin and leave him to his rest but was stopped by the sound of his voice.

"Whad'ya want?"

"You checked out early."

Han snorted. "And that surprises 'ya? I hate MedCenters."

"I know, but if it would have been better for you to stay there…"

"Not your concern."

"Why would you think that? You're always my concern."

He raised his head and glared at her. "Maybe, your Worship, because you're the one that put me there."

She was about to protest but realized he was absolutely right, so she just closed her mouth.

"Why don't you leave now? You checked on me, and I'm fine, just a little tired. Chewie will help me with whatever I need."

"But Han, we…"

"We, what? Is there a "we"?"

Leia's heart felt as if he had put a stake in it, the look in his eyes was so somber.

"Of course, there's a "we", it's us."

"Yeah, that clarifies it."

"Han!"

"Leia, it was my mission, I was in charge, and instead of following orders which you always tell me I should do, you shot me. Disagreeing with me, I get, we do it the time with each other and work past it. But you took this too far."

"But I had a feeling…"

Han gave her a weary sigh in response. "I did too, and my instincts have always, and I mean always, Leia, worked for me in the past. You blew by that and took things into your own hands."

Leia couldn't argue, it was all true.

He blinked at her, looking exhausted and a bit drugged out. "Just go. I need sleep." He said and closed his eyes, dismissing her.

8888888888888888888888888888888888

Later that night, Leia tossed restlessly in Han's bunk. Normally she slept well here, better than anywhere else with Han's strong arms wrapped around her, but tonight was different. Han gave his bunk to her and left to putter around the Falcon, planning to sleep in the crew's quarters when he was done.

The cold shoulder she was getting from him could not be more distinct.

She rolled over on her left side, knowing that she would not sleep well the rest of the night. The best part about being on the Falcon was being with Han, he made it feel like home to her. Since the victory at Endor only a few short weeks ago, they had spent every night together when they were both in the same place. Until now.

 _Why was this fight so different from all the others they had had?_ She contemplated that as she stared at the bulkhead. Maybe it was because all their battles on Hoth were significant, and had sometimes hurt, but in their own awkward way, they were making their way towards one another. She smiled to herself. No one said a courtship had to be traditional. But this, what was happening now was different. _Was it because they were official now?_

She bit her lip.

That wasn't entirely true either. High Command knew that they were involved, Luke and Chewie knew they were involved, the Rogues knew they were involved, and they no longer hid the fact they were together but there was no official announcement. Han had asked her to marry him the day they defeated the second Death Star, the day both the Emperor and Vadar died.

At the time, Leia was overwhelmed by the turbulence of her emotions she and everything that was happening around her. She asked Han to wait, to give her time. He agreed but she could sense that he doubted her answer, that he was uncertain as to the strength of her love for him, but he nodded and agreed anyway. That was three weeks ago.

A rush of irritation ran through her when she thought of that ridiculous line of people with voyeuristic attitudes that paid, actually paid to see Han in a state of undress. She knew that debacle would come out but given his current disdain of her she hadn't had the desire to tell him about that.

Leia grit her teeth as a wave of jealousy swept through her as she thought about the comments made by that blonde bimbo! Insinuating that unless they were married Han was on the market and available to anyone that could ensnare him. _How dare she?_

 _Han was hers! And only hers! That blonde hussy would never get her hands on her man!_

Leia tried to shake off the possessive streak she had developed over Han. She hadn't thought about his proposal since that day, and he hadn't mentioned it again. They had both been so busy with assignments that the thought hadn't crossed her mind.

World building was hard enough, but rebuilding an entire galaxy? Endless meetings and decisions for her colored her every day, and for Han it was the same fight now because he was consumed with all kinds of strategy meetings and training the trainers who would train the new recruits. That said nothing of the fact that he would soon be assigned to assist in cleaning out the remaining strongholds of the Empire wherever they may reside, and that meant months away from each other.

That's why their nights had become so special, because it belonged to them, it was their time together. Except for tonight.

She said she was sorry, but it wasn't a sincere apology and they both knew it. It was time for Leia to face up to the fact she screwed up, time for her to offer to repair the damage she had done to her relationship with Han.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Early the next morning, Leia heard Han enter to use the fresher. He was only in there a few minutes and left with only a glance at her, departing as quietly as he had entered. Unable to sleep, she got up, went into the fresher, took a quick shower, dressed and let herself into the lounge, expecting to see Han propped up there with a large mug of coffee. Instead, she saw Chewie who patted a chair beside him, a coffee mug waiting for her there.

"Han?"

Chewie shrugged and rolled his eyes. Clearly, he was annoyed with his friend.

 _Have kaffe, Little Princess, it will help to start your day on a better note._

"I guess," she said and took the seat beside Chewie. "Did he say anything?"

 _No. He did not only get shot in the ass, he is being an ass._

"I think I should apologize."

 _It would be a good first step if you are sincere._

"Of course, I'm sincere. I may have overstepped my bounds on this last mission." She turned to look into the Wookie's kind blue eyes. "Do you think I did?"

 _Chewie hesitated and stroked her hair. I think you both need to understand boundaries, that you need to learn when not to cross them._

"I crossed a boundary?"

 _Yes, you did. Drink your coffee. Cub will be back later._

Nodding at Chewie's advice she stared into her coffee cup.

8888888888888888888888888888888888

Later that day, Leia found herself looking for Luke and finally found him just before dinner in the mess hall. He smiled in greeting and waved her over. She went to sit across from him and when he saw that she didn't have any food, he pushed his tray towards her, but she declined and pushed it back.

"Can we talk?" she asked.

"Always," he put a mouthful of something resembling noodles into his mouth. "What do you want to talk about?"

"Han?"

"Han? Is there trouble in Paradise?"

"I don't know?" Leia gave him a guarded look and then sighed. "That's not true. There's definitely trouble in Paradise."

"So, spill," Luke said, still eating while he watched her. "When did it start?"

"After the incident."

"You mean when you shot him in the ass?" Luke smirked, just a little.

"Yes, that."

"What's going on?"

"Luke, he's really mad at me! I mean like furious. He won't even sleep with me…"

Luke held up his hand. "That are things that a brother doesn't need to know and that's one of them." He paused and studied Leia, he could feel the despair emanating from her. "Whoa. You are really upset, aren't you?"

"I may have screwed up."

Luke put his spoon down, straightened up, and looked back at Leia. "Do you want my honest opinion?"

"Please."

"You shouldn't have handled things the way that you did."

"But it was right, we got all of the intel we wanted, and we wiped out an Imperial stronghold."

"And that's great, don't get me wrong, but your way wasn't the only way to accomplish the mission, was it?"

"Well, no. There was Han's way."

"Which was what?"

"He wanted us to capture the spy and interrogate her. He felt he could get her to talk and give us the information we were after."

"Would that have worked? Would the results have been the same?"

"Possibly."

"Who was officially in charge of the mission?"

"Han."

"He was the ranking officer?"

"Yes."

Luke sighed and studied his sister.

"You spent years harassing him to join the rebellion."

"I didn't harass him."

"No? And after he finally does, on one of your first mission together, where he is officially your superior, you disregard his orders. Leia, how mad would you be if the situations were reversed?"

Leia frowned and stared at the table for a few moments before meeting Luke's gaze. "I'd probably be pissed. I mean, really, really pissed if he ignored my authority like that."

"Leia, I'm not relationship expert, but I know the two of you and there's no doubt in my mind that you truly love each other. But every relationship has bumps and I'm thinking this is your first serious fight since you've been together?"

"It is. And it's a bad one."

"And I think you hurt his pride a bit too."

"His pride? Really?"

"Don't dismiss it, Leia, every man has pride, so do women. You do."

Leia chewed on her lip. "In hindsight…"

Luke shot her a look and tried not to smile.

"No pun intended, I am now aware that shooting Han was not the smartest thing I could have done. Nor was stepping on his authority."

"Well, I can imagine how hard it was for you to admit that, that's a step for you. I don't know, Lei, it's up to you to fix this. I can't tell you how."

"I know." She traced a pattern on the table. "Do you think he'll listen to me?"

"Again, I can't answer, but you have a lot to lose if you don't try."

"Thanks." Leia swallowed hard. "Unfortunately, you're right." She looked back at Luke and there were tears in her eyes. "He's everything to me. He's my world."

"Then fix it." Luke flashed her a smile. "You two are so embarrassing when you are together, but I'd rather deal with that than what's happening now."

Leia brightened. "You mean our mutual fondness for groping one another in private? Sometimes with family and friends present?"

Luke grimaced. "Yeah, that."

"When we're better I'll see what I can do." She paused. "Can I ask you one more question?"

"Sure. Fire away."

"Do you think it would help if I made a more public declaration that Han and I are officially an item?"

"Help who? You? Han? Everyone else?"

"Han. Sometimes I think he feels that I'm hiding him."

"You're not. The people that need to know about him do."

"Yes, but it's not like we're married or announced an engagement or anything. We're not that kind of official. Could he really think that I don't want people to know about him?"

"Maybe? I mean you two don't go to official festivities together, maybe you could be a little less discreet with each other in public?" Luke shrugged and stood up. "Sorry, Sis, but I gotta go. Training assignment." He leaned over and kissed her cheek, then stood up and grinned at her.

"What's that for?"

"I want you to fix this because I can't wait to tease Han about getting shot in his ass." The grin made Luke's face crinkle with impish delight. "It will be great."

Leia couldn't help herself, she smiled as Luke disappeared through the doorway.

8888888888888888888888888888888888

The Falcon wasn't cooperating, it was a garrulous as Han himself currently felt. He needed to remove a worn cylinder and replace it, it should be a simple repair, but the cylinder was buried in the middle of other mechanical equipment so that getting there took a tremendous amount of time. Part of an engine lie in pieces around him. He could put it back together again in a reasonable amount of time if he could only get the damn cylinder out. It was such simple thing to cause such a monumental amount of work and it aggravated him to no end.

He leaned back and rubbed his arm across his forehead, leaving a streak of grease behind.

He was too distracted to be working on this and he knew it. All he had thought about the last couple of days was his relationship with Leia and how it had changed because of the actions that occurred on their mission.

He still loved Leia, he never doubted that because not even their worse fights could cancel out the love he felt for her, but they had hit a bump and it was a sizable one to be sure. She had directly ignored his authority on a mission where he was the commanding officer, and if that wasn't enough, she shot him to prevent him from carrying out the order he had issued.

It had become a two headed monster, creating both professional and personal problems between them, and Han felt at a bit of a loss to deal with it. They always had disagreements, and they always would simply because they were both such strong-willed individuals, but this was the first fight that scared him, the first fight that could cause severe relationship issues for them. Maybe it was growing pains, the difficulty of being in a serious relationship, but when he was honest with himself, this fight scared him to his core.

 _What if there are things within me that I can't change? That I don't want to change? What if Leia won't accept that? Krist! I'd forgotten how hard relationships are, and even harder when the woman is a Princess who is stubborn, and smart, and beautiful._

He rubbed his chin as he leaned against the bulkhead, absently streaking that with grease as well. He suddenly didn't feel like fighting with the recalcitrant cylinder. It seemed to symbolize the kind of place that he and Leia were in right now; stuck and not quite knowing why.

88888888888888888888888888

AN: Thanks for reading and don't forget – authors love reviews!


	5. Chapter 5

_AN: I have to thank the guest reviews here since I don't have a place to thank you personally – all reviews are appreciated. Here's the next chapter – enjoy._

 **Chapter 5**

The Falcon started to feel like home to Leia quite a while ago, even before their fabled trip to Bespin. When she thought about it, maybe it was because this was the ship that took her back to the safety of the Alliance and away from her scheduled execution. It was here that she shared many delicious dinners with Han, Chewie and Luke. It was here that the four of them formed and unbreakable bond of friendship and trust in each other. It was here that she felt the first stirring of love for Han despite her attempts to fight it. It was here that she first made love to Han on that fateful trip to Bespin. It was here that he struggled for survival against the hibernation sickness that tried to claim him even after his rescue. It was here that they had come together again after Endor, and it was here where Leia would happily spend the rest of her life if it meant that she would have Han by her side forever.

She felt like she had lost part of herself the last couple of days without his steady presence at her side and it caused her to contemplate her actions and the fact that she could have handled it differently, she could have done things better.

The Falcon's ramp was up, so Leia keyed in the security code and was rewarded with the lowering of the ramp. She took it as a good sign that he hadn't changed the security codes and she walked up the ramp.

She could immediately tell that he was working somewhere within the bowels of the ship. The rattling and banging of tools along with an impressive string of Corellian curses led her to the corridor where the plating had been removed and Han had lowered himself into the mechanical workings of the ship.

She stood there quietly listening, just feeling this presence. He was full of annoyance with his ship and trying to work off his anger. She knew it wasn't fair to probe too deeply without his consent, but beneath his anger she could feel deep regret and sadness along with great uncertainty.

She bent down to the edge of the work pit and saw Han's back. _No time like the present_. "Han?"

Han let out an oath as he startled and bumped his head against the bulkhead, and rubbing it looked up at Leia. "Whaddya want?"

"You look like you could use a break?"

"Actually, yeah, I can." He sighed. "I think we need to talk."

"I agree." Leia stepped away from the pit and inclined her head behind her. "I'll wait for you in the lounge."

"Okay, I'll be there shortly." Han agreed, and watched her walk away.

8888888888888888888888888888888888

Han was as good as his word and showed up in the lounge five minutes later, still wiping his greasy hands on a towel. He went over to the small cooler and pulled out a Corellian Ale, he raised an eyebrow in her direction, and she nodded. He pulled out another for her and opened them both and set one down before her.

"You'll forgive me if I don't sit," he said, standing near where she sat.

Leia lifted her eyes and looked at him, but for the first time in two days didn't see any anger behind his words.

"I said I'm sorry, but I realize now that my words may have seemed insincere."

"Okay, I'll accept that as a start." Han took a long drink and studied her. "Do you know why I'm so mad, Princess?"

"I think I do."

"Let's hear it."

"Professionally it was your mission, you were in charge, you were the ranking officer. As such you had the right to do things the way that you saw fit and to issue orders appropriately."

"I'm with you so far. What else?"

"I thought doing it a different way would work better."

"Despite my orders."

"Yes." Anger flashed in her eyes. "It's not like you haven't disobeyed me before."

"But that was different. Since I joined the rank and file, I've done things, mostly, per military protocol. Ya gotta throw out when I was an independent contractor."

"You've violated mission orders since then when I've been in charge." Leia stared at Han.

"Yeah, I have. It was to save your life."

"And I've done it to save your life," she agreed. "Why was this different?"

"Leia, no one was in danger, you know that. It was a matter of you wanting to do things differently than me, and instead of disagreeing and following orders, which I have to say I've done for you, you did what you wanted. And worse than that, you took me out to do it."

They stared at each other for a few long seconds.

"I felt it was right," she said.

"Did you feel my way was wrong? I mean, like it wouldn't work wrong?"

"No, nothing like that. My option seemed stronger, that was the feeling I had."

"But you don't know that?"

"Truth?" She shook her head.

"Maybe you just felt that because that was your choice. I have a pretty good record of listening to my instincts too, and they're usually right."

Leia expelled a deep breath. "I agree."

Han laughed and cupped a hand to his ear. "What was that? I'm not sure I heard it. Repeat it please."

Leia couldn't help herself, she smiled. "I said that I was wrong. That you were right."

Han chuckled. "'bout time you told me that." His expression grew serious and he stepped towards her and pushed a stray strand of hair away from her eyes. "I'm sorry for gettin' so mad at you, but you've harped at me so long about joinin'. And I joined 'cause I believe in you, and 'cause I think the galaxy can do better. I do my best to do things like I should because, ya know, General." He rolled his eyes at the absurdity of it. "And then you go and do somethin' that I might have done before I enlisted."

Leia gave him a small smile. "It's your fault. You're rubbing off on me."

Han made a noise of acceptance. "All right, your Worship, that's professionally and we've reached an accord. What about personally? All this stuff between us? I trust you with everything I am. I trust you to have my back even if you disagree."

Leia lowered her gaze to study her hands.

"And you fuckin' shot me, Leia. You shot me in the ass!"

Leia couldn't quite help it, she smirked. Just a little.

"You think that's funny?"

"Well, kind of. I mean if it was someone else, you'd be laughing, wouldn't you?"

Han shook his head in disbelief but then finally cracked a smile. Then he laughed, and Leia joined him, soon he was leaning against the bulkhead holding his sides.

"The great…Han Solo…shot in the ass…" Leia gasped.

"Yeah, by his…lover…."

Leia tried to quell the bubbling laughter but was having little success. "In hindsight…" she gasped, and Han rolled into another peal of laughter.

"You damaged my…my ass…my ass…my assets…" he finally squeaked out in a mirth filled voice.

Han was helpless in the laughter that burst out of him and surrounded him. Leia and dropped her head on the Dejarik table and was pounding it in glee.

Han finally gathered himself together and wiped his eyes as he tried to be serious, or at least as serious as he could be within the moment. "Could have been worse."

Leia raised her head and looked at Han, grinning. "How?"

"Think about it, Sweetheart? What if I had turned a split second sooner? Do you know what asset you would have hit then?"

Leia gasped as her eyes widened in horror. "Oh, Han!"

"Don't 'oh, Han' me! It would have put a serious damper on our love life, don't ya think?"

Leia's laughter stopped abruptly. "I'm sorry, Han. I was out of line." Her face brightened. "But I know what I can do to make things even."

Han scratched his chin and looked at her, mystified by her response.

Leia got up from her seat and went over to Han. He raised an eyebrow when she undid the safety on his blaster, removed it, and handed to him. Then she gauged the space in the lounge and walked to a spot about five feet away and leaned against a counter.

"Princess?"

"Shoot me."

"I beg your pardon."

"Shoot me. In the ass. Just like I shot you."

Han guffawed. "Not likely."

Leia turned her head around and glared at Han. "Come on, Flyboy. It will even things out."

"And then you'll be in the Med Center with seared clothing being pulled out of your ass, followed by a dip in the bacta tank. Leia, c'mon. Why would I do that?"

"Because then we'll be even."

"You mean in some weird way, you'll feel better." He sighed. "Ain't happenin'."

Leia turned around and glared at him. "Then how will we even this out?"

"How 'bout ya just agree to never do that again? I'm good with that."

With an exaggerated eyeroll, Leia stood up, turned around and folded her arms in front of her. Her gaze softened as she regarded Han leaning against the bulkhead, a smirk on his face. She walked over to him and gave him a soft kiss, just grazing the edge of his mouth. Then, much to his surprise, she dropped down on one knee in front of him.

"Leia?"

"Han, will you marry me?'

"What are you doing?"

Leia blinked up at him. "I thought it was obvious. I'm asking you to marry me."

"I get that, but the question is why?"

"Because I love you."

"I love you too, Sweetheart. But this isn't about giving me something because you feel bad."

"That's not what I'm doing."

"Are you sure? 'Cause it kind of feels that way. C'mon, Princess, up off the floor." Han put out his hand and assisted her up into his arms.

"I'm sorry. I've really botched this up, didn't I?"

"Nah, we'll chalk it up to another learning experience."

"We seem to have a lot of those, don't we?" She looked up into his face, her fingertips brushing his chin. "You need to shave, and you still have grease all over your face."

"I do, do I? Hmm, maybe I'd better clean up."

"Good idea, Hotshot."

"But not 'til I do this." He pulled her against him and rubbed his forehead, then face against hers so that she was covered in grease as well.

"Nerfherder!" she shouted, but her voice was filled with laughter.

Grinning, he stepped back and snapped his towel at her derriere. Then he did it again and she yelped.

"All right! You son of a bantha! Now you're going to get it!" She launched herself at him as he laughed and disappeared into his quarters with Leia in hot pursuit.

8888888888888888888888888888888888

This was so much better, Leia thought, as she lay on her side, Han spooning her from behind. He was sound asleep and softly snoring in her ear, and it was one of the sweetest sounds she had ever heard. Three nights away from him seemed like an eternity and not being with him unsettled her completely, much more so that she wanted to admit. She would have to give that some thought later when she felt like contemplating how her life had changed since she admitted she needed Han in her life.

But for now, being nestled in his warmth was the most comforting thing she could imagine, even better than hot chocolate on a cold night, or Corellian Ale after a hard day. Being held in the security of Han's arms beat that all to hell.

They proved they could recover from a serious fight and move forward, that knowledge was comforting but Leia hoped they never had such a serious fight again. It was disconcerting to realize that someone in her life had that much power over her, could hurt her so much if he wanted to do so. Thank the stars that he was a much better man than that.

Although she wasn't much for poetic prophesy, she felt that she and Han were written in the stars. Their love was their destiny and no matter what, they were entwined heart and soul. Their union sang through the force, especially joyful when they joined together as they had such a short time ago.

Leia closed her eyes and listened to the beating of his heart, and felt his breath on her neck, and she sighed, more content than she had been in ages.


	6. Chapter 6

_AN: Moving this to "M" due to adult activity here. Thanks for the reviews – they make my day! Hope yours is good as well._

 **Chapter 6**

Han sighed as he woke up. He had the most pleasurable feelings running through him because he had been dreaming of Leia, feelings of love that left him, Han Solo feeling emotionally fulfilled. He chuffed softly to himself as he woke up. _Who would've thought such a thing?_

There was also the physical aspect of their romance that never ceased to amaze him. He had never felt so physically satisfied as he did with her, she completed part of him that he never knew was missing. Now that he did, he knew he could never let her go.

He didn't usually sleep on his stomach but since his back side was still sore despite the progress he had made, he had woken up like that more often than not the last few days. He reached a hand back to scratch an itchy spot and was surprised to find hair and a soft facial cheek pressed up against his butt cheek He cracked an eye open and craned his head around to look and was surprised to see Leia watching him.

"What'cha doin', Princess?"

"I still feel bad about shooting you here," she gently rubbed her facial cheek against the of his butt cheek.

"Okay, and?"

"And I'm going to kiss it and make it better." She said and promptly kissed the new skin on his cheek.

"Really?" He smirked at her. "Gives a whole new meaning to 'kiss my ass.'"

"And you are the only one who will ever know that meaning."

"C'mere," he rolled over on his side and motioned for her to join him.

Leia scooted up so that she was facing him, and they engaged in some lingering, slow kisses.

Han sighed again, the feel of her lips on his was exciting beyond anything he could imagine, and he could imagine a lot. He was happy to spend all morning doing nothing more than this until he felt Leia's hand on him, stroking him, and he broke of the kiss and surrendered to the feeling of bliss that only she could provide.

"You like that?" She teased him playfully.

"What do you think?"

"I was going to taste you, but I find that I want you in me. Think you can manage, Flyboy?"

"I can more than manage, your Worship. If you'll just roll over on you back, I'm happy to take you up on your offer."

Pulling him down for another long, sensual kiss, Leia languidly rolled onto her back, taking her with him.

Their bodies pressed together, and Han nudged her knees apart, exchanging a long look with her and when she nodded, he slowly entered her, savoring the experience. Leia gasped and for just a moment clenched him tightly.

"Needy?" Han grinned.

"Get to work!" she chastised, her expression warm despite her tone.

"Yes, Ma'am!" Han obeyed and began to kiss and lick her breasts, drawing moans of contentment from her as he slowly moved back and forth within her. "D'ya like that?"

Leia yanked his hair and Han yelped, knowing it was one of the things she did when in the throes of passion. It was a good thing. He applied himself and moved in a deeper rhythm his pace increasing with the sound of her moans, and the whispering of his name.

"Han! Oh, Gods!"

"That's it, honey, come for me. Let me show you how much I love you," he tried to control his need, but he knew he was pounding into her, but she urged him on, wanting only completion.

Leia felt him, felt every molecule of him as he melded with her in the force, he didn't know that he did that to her every time they had an intense copulation, and she didn't know how to share it with him. She could only give over to the ecstasy of that feeling, give herself completely over to him and what he did to her. She shuddered and moaned out his name as she climaxed, tightening around him. She felt him thrust a few more times, as he cried out her name along with an impressive list of deities, and then she felt his warmth rush within her. After a few moments he recovered himself and with a tender kiss for her, rolled on his side again.

"Only you, Leia, only ever you," he whispered into her hair and pulled her close.

She didn't need to say anything, his love wrapped around her like a favorite, worn blanket, warm and tender as she lie within his arms.

8888888888888888888888888888888888

At mid-morning they got up, Leia insisted on looking at his wound and much to her relief saw that it was progressing nicely and no longer needed bacta patches. Unable to help herself she gave his butt a nice squeeze and handed him his pants.

"Careful with the merchandise, Sweetheart. Ya don't want to damage it anymore."

"No, I don't." She frowned as he buckled his belt and then looked at her.

"Somethin' wrong?" He asked pulling on his shirt.

"There's something else you need to know. Something that happened while you were in the bacta tank, something completely unexpected.

Han snorted and grinned at her. "What? Did someone sell tickets or something?"

Leia looked at him in astonishment. She knew he was joking but sometimes she swore the force resided in him. 'How did you? Never mind."

"Wait! You're kidding, right?"

"The Rogues."

Han groaned. "Krist! All right, what did they do?"

"Well they're quite the entrepreneurs. They decided that you were a hot commodity and that people might be interested in seeing you in your nearly unclothed state."

A series of emotions ran across his face; anger, fascination, pride, and amusement. He seemed to settle on bewilderment. "And how did that go?"

"Surprisingly well, Hotshot." Leia laughed. "They were selling tickets and had a line out the MedBay. Men and women."

"Wait a minute, men?"

"I was surprised too. I guess staff on the base have lowered their standards."

"Hey! So, what happened?"

"Once I found out what was happening. I shut them down. And I took their money."

"Good girl. Was it a lot?"

"A significant amount."

"Good. It's ours."

"Shouldn't we give it back to everyone that bought tickets?"

"Why would we do that? They got a peek at the Solo physique, didn't they? It's our money now."

Leia laughed. "Well, when you put it like that." Han stopped and looked at Leia. "But I'm thinking they deserve some payback, don't you?"

"It had occurred to me. Any bright ideas?"

"Only bright ideas, come on, Princess, you know me."

"All right then, what do you want to do to them?"

"Let me think about it for a day and I'll get back to you."

"Okay, but right now, I have to get going, I have meetings in an hour."

She stepped into Han's arms and they exchanged a heartfelt kiss.

"Can you get a day off this week. I have a trip I want us to go on."

"Han, we're so busy."

"Just a day. It's a short trip."

Leia studied his face and saw the twinkle in his eye. "What do you have in mind?"

"Not tellin'. It's a surprise."

'Now I'm intrigued."

"Good." He picked her up and she wrapped her legs around him as he pushed her against the bulkhead. "Don't go, Leia. Stay here for the day."

"Can't. It's either today, or later this week. I think." They broke their open-mouthed kiss and she looked into his hazel eyes dark with desire. "You choose."

He groaned but after an extended kiss and a deep sigh, he set her down and gently turned her around and pushed her towards the door. "Go to your meeting. I have two days towards the end of the week free, pick one. You'll like it, you'll see."

Leia grinned as she walked down the Falcon's ramp, life was good again.

8888888888888888888888888888888888

The temporary tent that was set up as Command Quarters, was finally emptying out now that the long meeting had finally concluded. Leia, dressed again in her military fatigues, blew a breath out and noticed that some stray locks of hair were now plastered against her face due to the heat from too many bodies in too small of a space. As the tent emptied, she noticed Han kept bobbing into the doorway, trying to get past the rush of bodies going past him but having little success.

She caught his eye and motioned for him to stay there, that she would come to him. He nodded and stepped away until the traffic finally passed him by. When the tent was emptied, Leia strolled to the doorway and squeaked as Han jumped out and abruptly pulled her to him. He lowered his head and they spent a few lovely minutes exchanging their breath with one another.

When they broke apart, Leia sighed and placed her hands against Han's chest. "Nice to see you too."

"Aww, Princess, I missed ya."

"Han, it's only been a few hours." She laughed.

"Yeah, but there's no time limit on that, is there?"

"No, Han. None." They exchanged another sweet kiss. "I thought I wouldn't see you until later though."

"My meeting broke early. I think I got lucky, it looks like yours dragged on."

"You have no idea." She rolled her eyes. "But now my afternoon is free."

"Yeah, me too." He grinned at her and she saw the devilment in his eyes.

"You have plans?"

"I do and you're invited if you want to join me. I just don't know if ya wanna get your hands dirty, your Worship?"

"Oh, oh. Are we talking about something illegal?"

"Oh no, Princess. I'm a reformed man. Just a bit of good clean fun. It only involves the innocent use of plants."

"Plants?" She quirked her head at him, feeling the mischief roll off him. "What are you talking about?"

"I want to encourage the Rogues to go without their clothing without identifying myself. At least not today."

"How will you do that?"

"Come with me, I need an accomplice, and I'll tell you the rest of the plan."

"Nothing illegal? You're sure?"

"Would I lie to you?" He put his hands on her shoulders and leaned forward and kissed her forehead.

"Okay, I'm in. What's next."

Han took two pairs of latex gloves out of his back pocket and handed one pair to her. She gave Han a look of apprehension, but he just winked at her and took her hand, leading her down a little used path.

8888888888888888888888888888888888

Their clothes were scattered haphazardly on the grass along the banks while the pilots that formed the Rogue squadron swam in the lake, their shouts and harassment of each other echoing along with their laughter to the area around them.

Han, hidden behind a large bush, snickered as he glanced over to Leia. They both had on latex gloves and in their hands were large, dark green leaves that they were rubbing on the inside of the shirts, and the inside of the pants. The leaves caused an uncomfortable rash to form on the skin that it came in contact with, a huge annoyance, but nothing else. Leia checked their medical history to verify that none of the men were allergic to this particular plant.

"Eww," Leia said, and held up a pair of men's underwear.

"Guess Wes swims in the buff. So, does Wedge," Han said and held up another pair. He gave Leia an evil smile. "Fair game. It's here."

He grinned and began rubbing the plant the next piece of clothing. "It's my turn for inspection in the morning. Normally it's not my favorite thing."

"You've made that abundantly clear."

"But tomorrow will be fun. I can't wait to see them itching and scratching their way through inspection."

Leia snorted in amusement. "I'm sure they think that you won't care, you've been a bit lax in the past."

"True, but tomorrow I'll be a real General. I can hardly wait." His hazel eyes were alight with glee and Leia smothered a laugh as she set to her task.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

Inspection was early the next morning, 0700. Han stood in the hanger in his pressed and proper military attire, looking so official that most everyone that observed him did a double take. He waited on the floor for the troops to assemble which they did, apparently pressed and proper as was protocol. There were a few stragglers amongst the ranks which included the Rogues who had yet to make an appearance. Two minutes and they would be late.

Han exchanged a look with Leia, who stood beside him clad in her military fatigues with her most regal and aloof bearing in place. She raised an eyebrow as the clock reached the anticipated time and a minute later the Rogues scrambled in, uniforms askew, working on their buttons as they lined up for inspection.

"Attention!" Han's assistant called as Han took a step forward and surveyed the troops in front of him.

Han began to inspect the troops, stopping on occasion to remind someone the proper way to dress in a military uniform; shoes polished better, uniform buttons askew, collar crooked, all minor infractions that he offered comment on with a somber voice and a stern face accompanied by a wink which left the soldier feeling confused and bewildered.

Han saved the Rogues for last. They stood straighter as he approached, still whispering amongst themselves as they jostled for a spot in front of Han.

"Is there a problem, Wedge?"

"No, sir. None, sir," he answered with a smirk.

"Wipe that smirk off your face," Han barked.

Wedge blinked, taken aback by the warning he heard in it. He straightened up and stood tall. Then he twisted his shoulder, trying hard not to itch. Han eyed the others as they squirmed in front of him and with a droll tone to his voice, he looked at Wes.

"Problem, Jansen?"

"No, sir. None, sir." Not having the will power of Wedge, with a small cry of anguish, Wes ripped open his shirt and began itching his chest.

The other three gave it up and ripped off their shirts and dropped trousers, even dropping to the ground and thrashing around as they dried to itch as much as possible at once.

"Rogue Squadron, attention!"

Somehow, they managed to scramble to their feet and held themselves up while Han watched them, his expression somber.

"I will ask again. Is there a problem?"

"Yes, sir," Wedge answered, busily scratching his butt.

"We have a rash, Sir."

"A rash? How did you get a rash?"

"We don't know, Sir."

Han regarded the entire assembly of soldiers in front of him and increased the volume of his voice. "Is anyone else suffering from a rash?"

A chorus of "no's" echoed back to him.

"You're in a private club. So, I will repeat myself. How did you get this rash?"

"We don't know, Sir," said Janson.

Han turned to Leia. "Commander, do you have any thoughts on this matter?"

"Yes, General. I think that perhaps if they went to the Med Bay, they may find out the nature of the rash."

"Have you been to the Med Bay?" Han asked.

"No," Hobbe whined, "this just started when we got up. Then we had to come here."

"You seem particularly focused on your rear…quarters," Leia observed.

"Yes, I noticed that too," Han agreed. He looked at them and allowed a smile to cross his face. "Perhaps as penance for being so undisciplined, we can make them stand here in front of everyone and sell tickets to the event."

As if on a single string, the heads of the Rogues snapped up and looked at the smiling faces of Han and Leia. They knew a practical joke when they saw it. They all stopped long enough to form a sloppy salute.

"Have you seen enough, General?" Leia asked.

"Yeah, I have. Dismissed!"

The troops saluted and began to disassemble, the Rogues fleeing towards the welcoming arms of the Med Bay.

8888888888888888888888888888888888

They were in Falcon and hyperspace before Leia had a chance to think about it, and with a little persuasion Han told her they were going to Cerea. Though she had never been there, Han assured her it was quite the paradise and spending a couple of days there would be more enjoyable than she could imagine.

After they landed, Han hustled her out of the Falcon, and into a nearby speeder with their luggage. Then he winked at her and gave her a lazy grin as he climbed onto the speeder.

"Where are we going?"

"Have ya' been here before?"

"No, never."

"Then you wouldn't know, would ya? Let's just say I know ya like the beach."

Intrigued, Leia gave him a speculative, coy look but he just laughed. "I know that look and it won't work, Princess."

"What look?"

"The one that says 'if I bat my eyes and look demure' I can convince him to do anything. Uh, uhh, ain't happenin'," he said smugly.

"Fine," she groused and climbed into the speeder behind him.

"Ready, your Worship?"

"Get on with it, Hotshot."

Han smirked and grinned as he gunned the speeder to life and roared away from the small landing strip onto some of the less travelled roads. The countryside was lovely, displaying a tropical climate. Palm trees adorned the sides of the dirt road, and tropical vegetation was abundantly dense just beyond the boundaries of the road.

Leia sighed and hugged her arms tighter around Han. She knew it was only for a couple days, and that the High Command was gearing up to reassign staff to new assignments key to the New Republic and without doubt, she and Han would be separated for periods of time. But for now, for these two days, they were together without interference to do whatever the hell they wanted to do.

She could hardly wait.

She hugged him tighter and rested her head against his back, content in the moment. Arms wrapped around him, flying to an unknown destination, but happy, completely trusting the man who held her heart. She closed her eyes and enjoyed the ride for another twenty minutes until Han slowed down the speeder, and then finally brought it to a stop.

He turned his head and rolled his shoulder just a bit. "Ya awake there, Sweetheart?"

"Yes, of course I am."

"Ya seemed awfully quiet."

"Just enjoying the ride."

He grunted in acknowledgement and she reluctantly pulled her arms away from him and sat up straighter. He turned around and gave her a look of amusement. "Ya look like you're ready for a nap."

"Almost," Leia yawned.

"C'mon, let's go in," he jerked his chin towards a lovely mid-size beach house that lie before them. It was a one floor with an open living area. The kitchen had a stone floor and the kitchen appliances they needed were placed about it with an island in the middle of it. Once out of the kitchen the floor became sand, real sand.

The living room floor was also real sand, as was the bedroom. It had a huge bed, with light sheets and coverings. The furniture was of light wood resembling bamboo. And the window opened as needed. The atmosphere was light and airy. There was a balcony door that opened onto a small deck with a table and four chairs.

Leia stepped out on the deck and found that the view of the ocean was breathtaking. Blue, green waves washing against the white, sandy shore, and the sun bright in the sky. She felt Han come up behind her and wrap his arms around her and nuzzle her neck.

"Whad'ya think, Princess? Do ya like it?"

"It's lovely. You did good, Scoundrel mine."

"Glad to hear it," he murmured, nibbling his way up her ear.

She shivered in anticipation.

"Somethin' wrong, your worship?"

"Ummm," she hummed and turned to kiss him.

They spent several enticing minutes, as their mouths gently explored each other, familiar with the quirks that got them both hot and bothered. Han abruptly pulled her against him, making sure she knew what she was doing to him. She looked up into his dark eyes, knowing his look of desire.

"Want something, Hotshot?"

"You know what I want."

"I have an idea."

They stared into each other's eyes, lost until Han leaned forward and kissed her long and passionately. Then he stepped away and grinned at her.

"I have something for you."

"I can tell," she laughed.

He cocked his head at her. "Maybe a swim? We have all day?"

She looked out at the ocean and realized how long it had been since she had the luxury of swimming in the ocean, and she expelled a sigh of longing. "I'd like that. We can get to our other activities later."

He grinned at her and gestured to the balcony doors. "As you wish, my lady."

Leia smirked, and pinched his ass as she walked by him. He yelped and then followed her through the doors.

8888888888888888888888888888888888

"Put me down!" she yelled, laughter underlining her loud request. He just chuckled and gave her a devilish grin.

"You wouldn't!" she breathed. "Han! Don't you dare!" she screamed, and he threw her away from him and into the water.

The unexpected toss left her underwater, nose filling with water in a most obnoxious manner. Sputtering, she broke the surface, coughing and wiping water from her eyes only to hear her boyfriend's delighted laughter.

"You! You're gonna pay for that!"

"Oh, yeah! Make me!" Han stuck his tongue out at her and swam away from her towards the shore.

Determined to make him pay, she followed as quickly as she could, but by the time she got out of the water he was already seated on their large, colorful beach towels, toweling himself off. She stopped suddenly and just stared at him, once again impressed by how handsome he was. The water glistened off this muscular torso, meeting his swim trunks that covered the delicious part of his anatomy that belonged only to her now, she was pleased at how that worked out. And his muscular legs were long and hard as well.

Leia was very pleased that he was hers, heart and soul. Just as she now belonged to him.

"Somethin' wrong?" he asked, looking up at her.

"No, just admiring the scenery."

"Me too," he agreed looking her up and down. Then he patted the spot beside him on the towel. "C'mere."

Leia arched her eyebrow and saucily sauntered over to him, finally settling down beside him. It took him only a moment to push her down on the towel and kiss her breathless. Then, giving her his best lopsided grin, he got up on his knees, his desire for her apparent.

"Don't you have something for me?" she said coyly, reaching a hand to brush against him.

"As a matter of fact, I do," he said gruffly, reaching into the pocket of his swim trunks.

She laughed. "That's not how your trunks come off."

"That's not what I'm after, at least not yet." His hazel eyes spun with a myriad of emotions, the most prevalent and odd combination of happiness and anxiety.

She cocked her head in confusion. "Han?"

Han pulled a small box out of his pocket and held it before Leia as he got up on one knee.

Leia's heart was suddenly beating so heart she could hardly hear her own thoughts. Her hand covered her mouth as waves of shock washed over her, her heart overflowing with love for the man before her.

"Your Worship, Leia, I have to ask you something. It's important." Han cleared his throat. "I'm not so good with words, but, well, the thing is…I love ya, I have for a long time." His dark eyes were filled with love for her as he watched her face, gazing her reaction. "And I want to spend my life with ya. Always. I know it's gonna be tough, we'll have a lot to do, but when I come home, well, I want to come home to you." He stopped and didn't say anything else, just regarded her with apprehension.

"Han, did you have a question?"

"What? Didn't I? Krist! Fuck. Leia, honey, you deserve so much better than me, but I can't help myself. "Will ya marry me?"

Leia's eyes sparkled with happiness and she got on her knees and leaned forward and kissed him. Slowly, and with great passion until they sank back onto the sand together.

"Leia, aren't ya gonna answer me?"

"Yes, Laser brain, yes," she said and pushed him onto the sand, stripping his swim trunks from him as she freed his burgeoning erection. In a moment her bikini bottoms were gone and as Han watched her briefly finger herself, his eyes grew hungry.

"Come here," he growled.

She just smiled and slowly lowered herself onto him, both moaning as their bodies joined in harmony once again. Soon, the rhythm of the sea became background noise to the rhythm of their bodies and hearts.

8888888888888888888888888888888888

 _AN: One more chapter and this story is done. Thanks for reading and your reviews – they are always appreciated - CM_


	8. Chapter 8

_AN: This is the last chapter of this story. Since I cannot personally thank all the reviewers that commented as "guests" – I'm thanking you here. I appreciate all the reviews that have been left for this story and if you choose to leave one more as your read the end of this story, I would be grateful. Thanks for reading._

 **Chapter 8**

The ceremony took place three days after they returned to Endor. Surrounded by their family, best friends, and close members of the alliance they said their solemn vows deep within the woods of Endor. The changing green hues of the forest sparkled where the sun filtered through, and it highlighted the green crown of braided flowers woven into Leia's lush, dark hair. The cream-colored dress was held in place by a simple belt made of vines from the surrounding forest. Her brown eyes sparkled with the depth of her love as she said her vows to Han.

Han stood straight, he stood tall, prouder than he had ever been in his life of the event that was about to take place. He wore his red bloodstripes and a clean, pressed white shirt. The soft breeze ruffled his dark hair as he gazed into the eyes of his Princess, his eyes dancing with green and gold hues of happiness but darkened by the depth of his love for her.

Their vows were deep and heartfelt and the forest of Endor stilled to hear the soft, loving words of the couple so lost in one another. The rings were exchanged along with the vows, and then a lingering, soft kiss that officially united them as husband and wife though they both knew their hearts had done that long before.

8888888888888888888888888888888888

The party was epic, there was simply no other word for it. Except for minimal staffing, all the personnel located on or around Endor was given leave until the next morning to resume their normal duties in order to celebrate the monumental event of Leia, the last Princess of Alderaan marrying the smuggler Han Solo. Their story had been repeated often among the ranks and most privately cheered for them despite their sometimes-contentious relationship.

All in all, it was a hell of a party!

Luke could feel the waves of happiness rolling off both Leia and her new husband, Han.

Luke smirked at that. When he first met the mercenary, he would never have thought such a thing was ever possible, but somehow, they had found their way to one another.

He leaned back against the tree and swallowed the rest of his excessively alcoholic beverage, realizing that perhaps he had already drunk too much. No matter. This was a once in a lifetime event, he knew that because he could sense that their bond was deep, anchored in the remarkable love that they shared. There would be plenty of fights because they were such strong-willed individuals, but he had faith they would find their way through everything together.

Nodding off against the tree, he was surprised to be gently nudged and awakened by a low growl and he looked into Chewbacca's amused face.

"Chewie? What's wrong?"

The Wookie gestured towards a nearby clearing where Han and Leia stood, apparently squared off and arguing as the party swirled around them. Leia had her hands on her hips and Han had his finger near her face trying to make a point.

Chewie laughed and squeezed Luke's shoulder before he ambled off to join the revelers.

Luke watched in concern and ever so discreetly, listened to see if he could hear their argument as they were now moving in his direction.

"I'm sorry, Han, but we can't make a honeymoon trip, you know that! You knew that before the wedding. I thought that's why we took the few days before now?"

"Yeah, well, it just ain't fair. We deserve better, you deserve better. You deserve the best I can give you, but I can't do it because we're roped into service!"

"Sorry, General." Leia stepped closed and Han's roar reduced to a soft grumble.

"They can kiss my ass! And," here he pointed at her again, "you can kiss my ass for agreeing with them!"

Leia's expression softened, and she laughed softly and put a hand on Han's cheek. He took it within his own and kissed it with great tenderness.

"Did you really say that, nerfherder?"

"Yes, Princess, I did."

Luke, stood silently, obscured him from their view, watched in amazement at the ever-changing kaleidoscope of their emotions. Angry and yelling moments before, now they were practically cooing at each other.

"I think I can help with that," she told Han, dropping her voice to a sultry purr, the look in her eyes bold with desire.

"Oh, honey, I know you can, and I'll be happy to return the favor," Han's baritone growled with a low rumble of promise.

Suddenly Luke was assailed with unwanted visions of passionate kisses, entwined bodies, and sweaty skin. He shut down the images as quickly as possible but thought he may have been scarred for life by the images leftover in his brain. Underneath all of it though, he knew the force was showing him that somehow the two of them, Han and Leia, with the approval and nudging of the force, had created a relationship that was extraordinary, one from which great things would come.

He stepped out from behind the tree and watched Han and Leia slip away in the direction of the Falcon, Han firmly holding Leia's hand within his own.

He shook his head, overwhelmed by the happiness they didn't even know they were emitting, the waves of love that others around them could feel when in their presence. He realized as he wobbled against the tree that it was also time for him to find a place to sleep. The liquor that the Ewoks concocted had quite a punch and he needed to sleep it off before he fell over.

Moving slowly, Luke went in search of a bed, leaving Han and Leia to the Falcon and the night he knew would be the start to their new life together.

THE END


End file.
